Lithuania confirms false drone alarm was caused by birds after NATO jet response
A radar alert that led to the temporary closure of Vilnius airport and the deployment of a NATO fighter jet was later identified as a flock of birds.
Lithuanian authorities said a radar contact initially thought to be a drone over the country on Sunday was actually a flock of birds. The incident prompted the closure of Vilnius airport and the dispatch of a NATO fighter jet from Siauliai, where Italian forces are stationed as part of the Baltic Air Defence mission. After the jet conducted a visual identification, the air alert was lifted and the airport reopened within 38 minutes. > "On initial radar readings, marks left by birds and drones can be similar," the National Crisis Management Centre said in a statement. The false alarm occurred amid heightened vigilance over unauthorized military drones in the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which have raised concerns about the conflict in Ukraine affecting NATO's northeastern flank. The Vilnius marathon, taking place in the capital at the time, continued without interruption.